News

Take Daughters to Work Day Is April 28

April 19, 2005

Northwestern University’s Take Our Daughters to Work Planning Committee urgently needs more than 40 volunteer chaperones on Thursday, April 27, the day that the University observes the national event on both campuses.

Chaperones are needed from 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Each chaperone will accompany a group of about 15 girls to three separate presentations that last for about an hour each.

Take Our Daughters to Work Day has been successful for the past 12 years because of all the help that the committee has received from the Northwestern University community.

As many as 350 girls, aged 9 to 16, are expected to participate in Northwestern’s Take Our Daughters to Work Day observance on Thursday, April 28.

It is the 11th year the University has planned activities designed to provide career-related interactive experiences for the girls.

Established by the Ms. Foundation, which is celebrating the 13th anniversary of this event, this nationally recognized program helps girls to focus on the numerous career options open to them. Staff and faculty members are encouraged to sponsor young female family members or friends.

“The emphasis on technology, science and math careers seems especially pertinent given the recent national discussion regarding male/female differences in math and science,” said Renée Redd, director of the Women’s Center.

“This national education program is designed to offer girls exposure to workplaces that, under normal circumstances, might not be open to them. It is our hope that Take Our Daughters to Work Day also will encourage girls to consider occupations that women have not traditionally held.“

There are 15 tour tracks in Evanston and eight tour tracks in Chicago from which to choose.

Evanston campus:

This year, four of the 29 workshop topics being offered on the Evanston campus are new.

During the “How Do I Look? Imagine being happy with your body!” workshops at 9:30 and 10:50 a.m., Dr. Elizabeth K. Gobbi, a psychiatrist and Eunice Kim, a postdoctoral fellow with the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) office, will discuss body image issues, obsession with weight and its connection with self-esteem and self-worth.

Betty Scott, manager of operations, and Stephanie Barclay, assistant manager of Fitness and Wellness Programs at the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion and Lester J. Norris Aquatic Center, will co-lead the 12:10 p.m. “Managing the Fit: Learn about sports management and fitness!” workshop. Girls will learn about the variety of job opportunities in the field of fitness and recreation with a focus on sports management and fitness (exercise physiology). Following a brief introductory discussion, the girls will tour the facilities and participate in “hands on” fitness testing.

Girls will learn about currency counters, vaults, cash drawers, deposits, receiving deposits, preparing bank deposits, encoding and endorsing checks and the importance of balancing a checkbook during the 9:30 a.m. “What’s in the Vault: The care and handling of cash!” workshop conducted by University Bursar Suzanne Zimmerman.

During the 9:30 and 10:50 a.m. “What’s Up Doc? …. and what are all those crazy instruments for?” workshops, participants will practice with the tools that doctors utilize to learn about the heart, lungs, eyes and body joints. Conducted by Medical School student Kelly O’Hara, they will use a stethoscope to listen to heart and lung sounds, examine each other’s eyes and use a reflex hammer to examine their own reflexes.

“Who wants to be a Wildcat? Play a college preparatory game!” workshop participants will learn the importance of a rigorous high school curriculum, the college application process and extracurricular involvement and leadership, as well as college preparation strategies on the high school and middle school level. Margaret Miranda, senior assistant director of Undergraduate Admissions, will lead the 10:50 a.m. workshop for 13- to 16-year olds.

Participants attending the 9 a.m. “Order in the Court: Learn what a law degree can do for you!” workshop will experience a courtroom setting by participating in a mock trial that will be followed by a question-and-answer session. It will be conducted by law students Myra Sutanto and J.T. Lupfer with the help of other Law School student volunteers.

During the 9 a.m. “Seeing the Unseen: An Adventure in Modern Digital Radiology” session led by David Channin, M.D., associate professor of radiology at The Feinberg School of Medicine, girls will visit a functioning radiography suite where the science of digital radiography will be explained. They will radiograph small objects in their possession and look at and analyze the resulting images.

The 10 and 11 a.m. sessions of “The Power of Words: Confident Speaking Through Improv” will feature improvisational theater games that will help girls to become confident public speakers. Attorney Katie Watson, a lecturer for The Feinberg School of Medicine’s Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program, will conduct both sessions.

Staff and faculty members who would like to sponsor a daughter, granddaughter, niece, neighbor or friend, should complete a registration form for either the Chicago or the Evanston campus. Registration forms will be delivered by campus mail and are also available at both Women’s Centers, as well as online.

The registration deadline is Thursday, April 21. A fee of $10 per person in the form of a personal check or money order payable to “Northwestern University” must be received by April 21. Late registrants must add an extra $5 fee.

Volunteers are needed to chaperone the girls from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on April 28. To volunteer, call Njoki Kamau at (847) 491-2734 or (847) 491-7360 or e-mail ngk@northwestern.edu for the Evanston campus program, or contact Elisabeth Lindsay-Ryan at (312) 503-3401 or (312) 503-3400 for the Chicago campus program.

The April 28 event is cosponsored by the Take Our Daughters to Work Day Committee, the Women’s Center and the Association of Northwestern University Women (ANUW).

Support is provided by the Office of the President, Office of the Senior Vice President for Business and Finance, the Provost’s Office, Kellogg School of Management, and the Office of Change Management.